Elision
by SaberMay
Summary: 'Shush' it's called. A drug that sinks you into delusion, warps reality and steals your memory as its price. Zuko doesn't remember touching it, but its effects have left a trail of mystery leading right to his feet. With his memory gone, stranded in the desert and wrapped up in something nefarious, he doesn't know where to look for answers. But, asking Katara might be a good start.
1. Unforgettable

A/N: I'm going to be perfectly honest with you guys. My art is better than my writing. If any of you were brought here from Tumblr or DeviantArt, you'll know I've been creating art for this story for a while now. I've practiced with writing in the past, but I am no master of it. I have a feeling I might disappoint some because my skills are not up to par with each other. If I could offer a glimmer of hope in case these first few chapters put you off, stick around until chapter 4. You _may_ start to like it then. If not, thanks for checking it out, at least.

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA. This fan fiction abides by fair use and is not-for-profit.

* * *

_Elision: The process of joining together or merging things, especially abstract ideas._

* * *

_Chapter 1_

**Unforgettable**

…

Zuko doesn't know what's happening.

Actually…that's not true.

He's delirious and his mind feels sluggishly muddled, but he's not that far gone. He knows exactly what's going on right now. It's more like he doesn't know _why_ it's happening. _Why_ is he here? _Why_ is she here? _Why_ is he doing this? _Why_ is she letting him? Why…

Everything around him is stifling. The hot air latches relentlessly to his skin and makes almost every breath he takes feel like he's face to face with a fire. It's too hot, even for a firebender like him who embraces the heat like it's second nature. He can't control this kind. But then...he's not sure he wants to in the first place.

A bead of sweat runs down his neck and across his back as hands dig into his shoulders. He can feel a slight tremor in them as they pull him desperately against the body below him.

He doesn't know why this is happening…

As he tries to chase down the reason, his pursuit for clarity is interrupted when flickers of something flash before his eyes. Are they memories? Another part of this strange dream? He's not quite sure. They tug his attention inward and the scene before him morphs.

One second, he's standing on top of a hill, heart pounding and looking out at a sea of sand and a blazing sunset. Or is it a sunrise? Then, he's running through unrecognizable streets at night; a constant stream of colorful lights flying past him. He's lost, confused, _afraid_ and he doesn't know why. His swords are gone and he can't focus enough to firebend properly. He'll hurt someone. He'll burn the children he's running past if he's not careful.

The scene changes again. It's daylight surrounding him now, but both the sun _and_ the moon are beating intense light down on him. He wonders how that's possible. A crescent moon in the sky shining as big and bright as the sun it seems to be devouring? Ridiculous, but…there they are, right in front of him.

Beneath the heat, he stumbles around and swears to himself that all forms of sand are going to be illegal in the Fire Nation from now on. It burns his feet, it throws his balance off, and, worst of all, _it never ends_. He tries to tighten his fist in frustration but is stopped by something he holds. It's heavier than it's supposed to be and the damned thing feels like it's the very reason his feet are failing him and sinking further into this desert pit. As his eyes begin to droop and the sand begins to consume him entirely, he's brought back to reality when a smaller hand grabs his wrist.

Things are even hazier after that. It turns into something not with scenes of sunsets or streets, but just a faded light. And it's unlike anything he's ever seen before. The warm amber color behaves like a shadow in front of him, but he knows it's not his. It's much too small and moves with a sort of grace he's nowhere near capable of. The shades of red and blue surrounding it bend and twist as it lithely moves side to side, near and far, closer and closer to him.

Then, something changes. As it gets near him, a pair of shining yellow eyes appear and stare up at him. He suddenly can't take his own eyes from them. This little pillar of light is drawing him in, but why? It's surely just some trick of his mind…

Sand. Streets. The sun and the moon. A light.

And now _this_.

It feels only slightly more real than whatever that was that just flashed before his eyes.

She's laying beneath him on top of messy sheets of dark gold and purple. But everything is red. Red shades cover all the lanterns and it makes her dark skin turn an alluring shade of bronze. Like the hue surrounding them, she's completely flushed. He can't see it in the low light, but he can _feel_ it.

Her skin is hot as he buries his face in her hair, cheek to cheek. As if his senses aren't being assaulted enough, her familiar, tantalizing scent mixed with – what is it she's wearing? Jasmine? – is _not_ helping his attempt to pull his scattered thoughts together. And, Agni, the way she's grabbing onto him is making it even harder to focus.

It's that sensual way she's wrapped him in and the shivers it brings that shock him into the tiniest amount of clarity.

'_What is…?_' he wonders loosely.

It takes incredible effort to momentarily pry himself from her – both from how weak he feels and how…convincing those hands at his back and lips at his ear are. He cracks his eyes open through loose black hair to do some much-needed investigating and is nearly floored with what he finds. If his blood wasn't already running hot, it would have frozen still from seeing her. There's a waterbender he recognizes, naked and wanting beneath him.

Beneath _him_. There's something very wrong with this realization, but…what is it, exactly? One instinct is telling him to detangle himself from this situation as fast as humanly possible, but another is whispering to do the exact opposite. _Pull her closer. Don't let her get away._

He doesn't know which side to listen to. His in no state of mind to make any sort of coherent decision. Even so, through the thick fog he's trying to navigate, the sense that 'this is wrong' is blaring like an alarm. He knows he needs to stop. Now, before it's too late. Stop before she opens her eyes and sees it's him.

He starts to slow and lean back. Bits of awareness appear – he can see his rationale and a clearer mind coming back to him as if it were a growing light in the distance. But just as he's about to grab hold of it, the woman pressed against him does something that pulls him back into the murky darkness.

He doesn't have a weak mind. He's the godsdamn Fire Lord. Mental fortitude is something he mastered long ago in the political viper pit he's in charge of these days. Yet, it's no match for her antics. It takes only one moment of her tightening her legs around him and jerking him back onto her, closer, for him to forget why he was reaching for clarity at all.

The world spins as he lightly groans, wholly _not_ expecting the electrifying feeling that just went through him. Blissfully dizzy, he doesn't move and impatient hands slide up his shoulders. She tilts her head up and runs her warm lips against his jaw and, well, it's all the encouragement he needs.

It's all it takes.

Has he always been this easily seduced?

He wonders only briefly before deciding he doesn't give a damn about the answer.

The voices of reason drop from his mind like letting go of a heavy stone in his hands. Then they turn to dust when she plants a small kiss on his neck and ghosts her hands so devilishly across his pecs. Zuko's not sure if it's her actions in general or the fact that it's _her_ doing them that obliterates his train of thought. Who knew this always fierce, yet innocent-looking waterbender had such…persuasive skills?

'_More,_' is all he can think as need and desire pool in his gut, suddenly eager to find out what other tricks she's willing to use on him.

He's moving again before he realizes it. The pleasure he felt before was nothing compared to what it is now. It's sending sparks throughout his whole body, and he can't remember a time he's ever felt like _this_.

'_More.'_

She seems to be enjoying it as much as him. Her nails briefly dig into the skin on his back and he responds by grabbing one of her wrists and pinning it down on the sheets.

He wants to fall back on top of her and press his face into her neck, but instead, he looks down, and this time he actually _looks_. And Agni, she's beautiful. The sight of her bared neck, her parted lips, those athletic legs wrapped around him – he almost loses it at that moment. But he stops himself. He's suddenly feeling impossibly greedy. This only just started and he's far from ready to let this experience end.

He slows the pace again and she gets frustrated. Before she can protest, he leans in and takes her swollen lips, giving her a sloppy kiss.

It's pretty careless, almost like an awkward first kiss. No good at all…he knows he can do better. He can do _so_ much better.

Fighting the haze in his mind, he kisses her again. This time, with precision. She seems almost surprised at first, but it isn't long before she responds. She tries to pull her pinned hand free, but he keeps the hold nice and tight, so she uses her free one to run her fingers through his hair.

She doesn't let the slow pace go on for very long. While trying to pull him closer, she speeds up their kiss, coaxing him through her lips. Her enthusiasm is a nice surprise, and it's hard to not get swept away by her. He's more than tempted to give in, but he's the one in charge here and, right now, he wants to keep it nice and slow. A barely audible groan of frustration lets him know her patience is wearing thin.

She keeps struggling, so he bites her lip and it immediately makes her go slack with surprise. He runs his tongue across her lower lip before nibbling at it again, and a muffled moan he hasn't heard yet escapes her. At the same time, her body trembles against him.

Her lively reaction goes straight to his head and messes with his thoughts in a way he doesn't expect. The level of self-satisfaction he feels is outrageously criminal. So much so that he wants to do it again. He wants to see if he can get her to make that noise again for him…

Determined, he leans back to run his lips across her cheek and to her jaw, deliberately teasing her. He finally frees her as both of his hands start to move. They were trapped at her sides doing nothing for too long. It seems such a waste to leave them there.

However, before he can touch her, his hand momentarily hovers just a breath away from her skin. There's a mix of the need to be somewhat chivalrous and a sliver of doubt stopping him. He waits for her permission even though it doesn't make any sense to ask for it with how far they've gone already. Still, he feels like he needs some sort of reassurance.

She gives it almost right away, or so he thinks. It's hard to misunderstand the way she keeps trying to pull him closer, or the look of bliss and need he sees as her blue eyes look into his.

Slowly, he grabs her thigh and travels upward, keeping his lips busy on her neck. She squirms and tries her best to make him speed up, but he likes this too much. The second his hand stops just below her breast, he pauses, then runs a thumb teasingly across the bottom. She arches her back, pressing them chest to chest.

His attention is shot for a moment.

His hands start moving faster, touching whatever he can as skillfully as he can. The more she writhes, the more fearless and devious he becomes. What he does next is beyond ruthless, especially since it's so obvious what she wants. He pushes his hips against her in the most frustrating way there is, keeping his movements just barely slow enough to make her lose her composure.

He feels on top of the world when she finally makes the noise he was trying to elicit. She whines for him, pulling at his shoulders again and begging him to drop the teasing and continue what he put on hold.

He's cruel and doesn't follow her wish. He's not done yet.

Heat is surrounding him again. His head spins as he lightly bites her lower neck, almost her shoulder, and the temptation is too hard to resist. He sucks hard for a few seconds, making her gasp and dig her nails into him. He pulls back and feels, once again, more satisfied than he should.

He's not sure if it's a figment of his imagination or if he really is smirking as he moves to another spot to tease. Where exactly is he going next? He doesn't know yet and that's what excites him. He's willing to spend the rest of the night…or day…or whenever the hell it was finding out what made her tick. All those dirty little reactions – they were going to be his by the time they were done. _All of them._

A muffled laugh slips through his lips at his own thoughts. He can't remember the last time he felt this confident and domineering in the bedroom. Then again, he's not sure if he's ever had a partner as sensual as the one currently clinging onto him, pressing her soft chest against him, scrambling his thoughts with _every_ needy noise she made.

His lips move downward, but before he gets to the spot he wants to go, she stops him with a hiss of displeasure. He's pushed away and left to stare down at a very unhappy waterbender. Dazed and panting, a glare has replaced her once half-lidded eyes.

He's about to knock her hands away and continue where he left off, but suddenly, there's a foot on his chest.

He's positive she puts in every ounce of strength she has when she practically kicks him back. It doesn't hurt and he's far too delirious to stop her or try to catch his fall for that matter.

What _does_ hurt is when his back hits something, a headboard maybe or a wall, and his head slams into the hard wood. His ears ring, his hand flies up to grab the back of his head, and a pained groan escapes his throat.

'_Damn,'_ he thinks. _'What was that for?'_

They were having so much fun…

He sways slightly as he opens his eyes to look around. However, he doesn't get a half-decent look of the red room he's in before skin blocks his view – which is completely fine. Looking as unstable as he feels, the woman he had pinned down a moment ago gets on top of him and straddles his thighs. Then, he's immediately attacked with a messy, hot kiss.

He tries to fight it and push her away. He's not sure why, but he does.

She obviously has zero patience for his sudden I'm-playing-hard-to-get attitude and grabs a handful of his hair. He grunts when she tightens her grip to a point that it's painful to move. She slowly scoots closer to him until she's pressed close enough against him that it makes Zuko suck in a tight breath. Instantly, he regrets their break and wonders why he stopped all that to tease her.

This time, just as raw lust and need rip through his thoughts, she's the one who hesitates. It seems he has even less patience than her when it comes to something he wants. He grabs her hips and tries to pull her closer, but she won't let it happen.

Instead, with her hand still gripping him like a vice, she kisses his neck. And then…_and then_ the image of the strong-willed yet secretly innocent girl he always pictured her as shatters when she starts deliberately pressing her chest against him and moving around in ways that are only meant to frustrate him. He's willing to bet every piece of gold he owns that she does it just to give him a taste of his own medicine. Being on the other end of the teasing, he decides, is not so enjoyable.

Lucky for him, miss impatient is still impatient and doesn't drag it out too agonizingly long.

His hands fall to his sides, palms pushed into the ground as she finally presses down on him. He gasps and she lets out a breathy moan he's decided is one of his new favorite sounds. He thinks she's going to let him go so he can move his head again, but her grip only tightens. His hand moves up her back to try and pry her fingers from him, but he gets distracted halfway up and trails a rough pattern up her spine instead. It makes her shiver.

All of that along with her ragged breathing, squinted eyes, and just this whole taking what she wants – he's already close again because it is _the_ most erotic thing he's ever experienced.

When her hand finally releases him and slips back down to his shoulder, he takes a moment to kiss her neck again, resisting the temptation to get too carried away again. He realizes almost too late that position is no good for him. Actually, it's _too_ good. It's a little too much for him and there are still a couple of things he wants to do before the end.

He quickly drops all pretenses of taking things slow. He's too far gone and feeling too wild with desperation for that kind of patience now. Learning all her little quirks will have to wait until next time…

He's not sure how he does it, but, somehow, he manages to get them both up and her back against the sheets. His lips find hers again and she wraps her arms around him to pull him close. His mind gets completely lost in the heat between them and it seems an impossibility that something could pull it away from her at the moment.

But something does.

In the throes of it all – the heat, the closeness, the fire in his veins – she does something unexpected. It's not another lustful move they've been pulling on each other up until now.

There's a moment of hesitation he senses from her and he pauses briefly, too. Her hand runs through his hair, but it's not rough and demanding like it was a minute ago. It glides down his face until it cups his cheek, her fingertips barely brushing against the scarred skin below his eye. It's…soft and slow. A caress he doesn't expect. Her other arm wraps around him just as slowly and she presses her cheek against his. Her lips are close, but it feels as though she's hesitant to kiss him. He can feel she wants to.

The change in energy from her is a little startling, but he doesn't let her go. There's something very intimate about the way she's holding onto him that he's never felt before. It sends a painful jolt through his chest. It feels safe, reassuring like _he's _the one who's needed, not the other way around.

It's a feeling he always cowers from. It's never safe. Fate usually rips it away from him when he needs it most. It's never worth it…

This time, though…it is. Letting go of the sting of fear is surprisingly easy. She makes it easy…

He wraps his arm around her with a sigh and gives her that kiss on the cheek she is hesitant to give him. Closing his eyes, he lets himself get lost in the feeling of her for as long as it would last.

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A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Elision. Let me know your thoughts, if you have the time. The entire outline for this story is pretty much done, so I'll try and keep updates consistent. I'll be doing more art for this in the future as well.

If you want to follow the art for this story, follow me on DeviantArt or Tumblr.

See you next chapter! :)


	2. Shush

A/N: Thank you for all the favs, follows, and reviews last chapter. I'm really glad you guys liked the start! To answer a few questions from NotMyNameHere and Jungianca6, yes, they were doing the deed. Maybe I'll go back later and make that clear. As for my other stories, I honestly don't know if I am going to go back to them. TLK is a lot more massive than I first assumed when I started writing it. I've done the math and it's going to take at least another 350k words just to finish it up. AFY might be finished later this summer. No promises though…

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA. This fan fiction abides by fair use and is not-for-profit.

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_Chapter 2_

**Shush**

…

Zuko woke with a jolt.

For a moment, as he stared wide-eyed at the dark ceiling above, his thoughts were full of nothing but the red room. He swallowed hard and blinked, realizing he was coming down from a dream. His hand ran across his face and he wasn't surprised to find a layer of sweat. The room was unbearably hot. _He_ was hot. Just like in his dream.

Dark skin, hot lips, tantalizing curves. _Katara_.

He took a few deep breathes as he tried to ignore the flashes of everything that just went on. It was difficult, though. He was painfully hard, more than a little turned on, and he had the unfortunate luck of not staying asleep long enough for the dream to finish. He wished it would have.

_Katara. _

Heat filled his cheeks and the intense flush didn't stop until his chest was red. What sort of twisted part of his mind did that completely unexpected fantasy spawn from? Katara…? He just had probably the best sex dream of his life and his partner was…

Katara…him…and that rather overly domineering and salacious behavior of his. It was outright embarrassing to think of it now.

He laid still for a minute or two before the blush finally faded. Though he put genuine effort into trying to wipe his mind of the dream, he couldn't stop from wandering to the incredibly vivid images currently in abundant supply. He was straining against his pants and practically throbbing. Biting his lip, he moved his hand down and slipped it just under the hem, but halted before he could touch himself. He wanted release, bad, but in his current state of mind, the only person he was going to think about was Katara.

If he got off to erotic thoughts of his dream – of her – he could only imagine the kind of awkwardness that would linger in the air next time he saw her. It might be one-sided on his part but it was just…wrong.

'_Or is it?'_ a traitorous little voice in his head asked.

An intense debate raged in his mind and his hand would inch down closer and then back up every few seconds. One side eventually won and, with a frustrated sigh, his hand moved back above the covers in a fist. Zuko roughly turned to the side and muttered a curse or two under his breath.

He tightened his eyes and willed himself to forget about it and fall asleep. If he was being honest with himself, he was wishing on a sliver of luck that his dream would pick up where it left off. Maybe it wouldn't and he'd forget this whole thing by morning. Maybe she'll grab his hair and get on top of him again…

Groaning, he ran his hand over his face again. As it grazed over his cheek, he stopped suddenly. He pulled it back and cracked his eyes open to look at his open palm.

It may have been a sex dream, but he's never had one quite like that. Near the end, right before he woke up, that endearing caress she gave him – that's never happened before in a dream. Though it still caused a painful sting in his chest when he thought about it, he wouldn't mind if the not-Katara of his dreams did it again.

His hand slowly dropped back to the bed and he was about to close his eyes, but before he could, something caught his attention. It was the window on the other side of the room.

Right away, he knew something wasn't right about it. It looked nothing like the one in his bedroom. It was too small and mostly rectangular, but the top of the window rounded off to a pointed end. His eyes opened wider and he quickly scanned the room, not recognizing a single thing in the dark – the furniture, the décor, the bed, his own clothes.

Zuko jumped out of bed on high alert, but his vision clouded over and he crashed into the nightstand. Using all the willpower he could muster, he fought to keep himself upright even though his limbs were so weak they were practically shaking.

In a daze, he looked down when he felt his loose robe slip off his shoulder only to find that his entire chest was bandaged up. When he touched them, whatever sort of wound beneath them stung.

"What's going on here?" he muttered.

When he tried to remember anything that would offer an explanation, he was more than a little alarmed to come up completely empty. There was nothing. In fact, he couldn't pin down what the last thing he could remember even was.

Searching the room again, his eyes zeroed in on the door. There was light behind it. He lifted his arms up so he could jump into a firebending stance if need be, and walked over to it. He heard snoring before he could open it, and when he did, he found a guard slouching in a chair asleep. It was poor security to keep him, the Fire Lord of all people, under. If they knew that's who he was. Whoever _they _were.

Zuko slipped out into the hall, his eyes peeled for signs of any more guards. The hall itself was modestly lit with high ceilings. Every part of it all, including the floor and ceiling, was well-decorated with patterns of colorful tiles or intricate paint designs. Every door and archway he passed had the same pointed top that his window did.

It was clearly not Fire Nation or any other style he could recognize. What he would bet his money on, was that it was some sort of palace. He tried not to get too distracted by it. His first priority was to get to safety and find his bearings before asking questions.

He halted when the sound of boots and light conversation echoed past him, and quickly hid behind a corner. A band of guards walked past that looked similar to the one asleep outside the room he was in. They wore loose, black and tan robes covered by plates of leather, and had curved swords holstered at their hips.

Zuko kept still until he was absolutely sure they were out of sight and then hesitantly turned to continue on. Though, just two steps later, he came across a massive window. He froze in surprise at the view it offered.

His first assumption was right. He was in a palace and he could see a portion of it from where he was. It was nowhere near the size of the Fire Palace, but it had most of the characteristics a typical palace would. A mix of light and dark sandstone made up most of the exterior and the roofs were capped with huge gold domes. There was a courtyard or garden a few stories below that was dotted with palm trees, pools of water, and the same kind of décor currently surrounding him. There were guards wandering around everywhere.

There was a city in the distance that was speckled with flickering yellow, orange, and red lights. It was what lied beyond it that made his brow crease in confusion the most. He stepped closer to the window and squinted his eyes to get a better look at it. It was hard to tell, but the structures he was seeing, illuminated by the moonlight, were massive sand dunes towering high into the night. All at once, a sense of familiarity started to creep into his thoughts.

Zuko was so distracted by the scene outside that when he heard a gasp of surprise, he nearly jumped out of his skin. About ten strides from him was a skinny teenager, too small for the larger nice robes he was dressed in, staring at him dumbfounded with his mouth agape.

"You-" the kid started before Zuko cut him off. He was next to him instantly and locked his arm around his neck in a blood choke before he could speak again. After a few seconds of struggling, he blacked out.

Cursing under his breath for the second time that night, Zuko picked the closest dark room he could find to drop the boy down in. He certainly wasn't going to kill him, but now Zuko had less time to get out of there before the boy woke up and raised the alarm. He was in no condition to fight his way out.

Berating himself for being so careless, Zuko took off down the hall quicker. He didn't make it far before the same wave of fatigue from earlier hit him hard. He swayed and tried to stop himself from running into anything, but ended up hitting a table that sent a couple of glass vases shattering on the floor.

The same group of guards from before rounded the corner soon after that and Zuko realized that getting out without a fight was no longer an option.

As soon as they spotted him, they yelled for him to stop. Thinking quick, Zuko blasted a flame in their direction that caught both the decorative rugs and tapestries running down the wall on fire. The guards stopped before the fire and Zuko turned tail before he could see what their next move was.

He had no idea where he was going and relied on his intuition when choosing which hallway to turn into. A little erratic and unbelievably dizzy, he ran fast past servants and others walking down the halls. They jumped to the sides to get out of his way.

He slid to a halt when another group of guards showed up and before he could pick another direction, more appeared from behind him and he was officially cornered. He threw his hands in front of him, ready to burn every last one of them if he had to.

"Don't move!"

"Put your hands up now!"

As Zuko backed up and they began to surround him, screaming orders and aiming their weapons at him, he came close to hitting a pillar. At least, he thought it was a pillar. When the shadow over him moved, Zuko barely had time to realize it was actually a person before he had to dodge a knife about to slash his chest.

He stumbled back and didn't even have a second to correct his balance before the large knife was coming towards him again. He threw his fist up to blast his assailant in fire, but his wrist was easily knocked to the side and the decorations on the wall were the victims instead as they lit up in flames.

As some of the others turned their attention towards putting out the flames, the one fighting Zuko kept his attention solely on him. Whoever he was, he was too big to be moving so fast, and Zuko struggled hard to keep up. Within just a few seconds, Zuko's usually impressive hand-to-hand combat skills were not enough. Behind him, the larger man caught his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back painfully. A second later, a blade was on his throat.

Just as the rest of the guards started to close in on him, the high tension in the air was interrupted when a calm voice spoke from behind the guards. "That's enough."

All of the guards froze and looked to the man that spoke. He slowly stepped in between them until he had a good view of Zuko. With his hands wrapped behind his back, he eyed him curiously, then continued, "Lower your weapons and back away from him."

The guards were hesitant at first, but they did as they were told. Before releasing Zuko, the man behind him pressed the knife a little harder into his skin, almost breaking it, before he, too, backed away.

Zuko didn't let his guard down and quickly aimed his hand at the finely dressed man. All of them tensed, but the man remained calm even though Zuko could very well kill him before the others could stop him at this point if he wanted to.

"I want to know what's going on here," Zuko said bluntly, a hint of malice in his tone.

"I'm sure you do," he said calmly. "I am happy to explain what I can, but only if you agree to stop." Distrustful, Zuko didn't move at all. "Even if you choose to fight, you are outnumbered," the man said and then flicked his eyes to the man behind Zuko, "and outmatched in your state. No single bender can fight against a small army, and that's what's waiting for you the further you go."

Zuko was still for a while longer as he tried to determine if what he said was the truth. But, in reality, it didn't matter. A slight tremor ran through his hand and everyone around him could see it. His fatigue and weakness were going to be the death of him in this situation. As he looked between the growing number of guards and the knife-wielding fighter behind him, he knew he was done for.

Slowly, he lowered his arms in surrender.

* * *

Zuko expected to be shackled and hauled to a cell, then the 'talk' he was promised would proceed to some sort of interrogation or plans for ransom. Instead, he was surprised that the noble, Zuko assumed, was true to his word. At surface level, at least. He was escorted through a few more halls, given a fine tan robe accented with green and gold embroidery, then led into a room equally as luxurious as his new clothes.

As Zuko adjusted the sash around his waist, making sure to tighten it enough so that his bandaged chest would not show, he eyed the large table in front of him. Servants were setting down plates of decorated food with appetizing scents that wafted past him.

Though distracted by how incredibly hungry he suddenly was, he kept his attention sharp.

The familiarity he felt earlier when looking out at the palace grounds and seeing the city and sand in distance was building the longer he had to examine things. Between the interior design and the dome roofs outside the window, a small hunch of where he might be was forming. If he was right about the place he suspected he might be, he was a very long way from home.

The last of the food was set down and the servants left the room without a word. With a wave of his hand, the noble dismissed the guards. A few shot Zuko warning glares before disappearing through the archways. The only one that stayed put was the tall one Zuko scuffled with earlier.

Dressed in darker, rougher clothing than the other guards, he stood in the corner of the room and his eyes followed Zuko's every movement. The message from the threatening aura he was giving off was clear.

Although having little intention to start a fight at this point, it was still a stupid decision on the noble's part to leave Zuko free. He landed a calculating gaze on the windows.

"Before you make a break for the windows," the noble said, "you should know that it's a fifty-foot drop to the bottom with nothing to grab onto. Unless you're also an airbender, you're going to break some bones once you hit the ground."

A little startled that he caught onto what Zuko was thinking so easily, he straightened up. Without dropping thoughts of escape, Zuko waited for the man to continue talking, but he seemed more interested in the food. Eventually, hiss impatience won him over.

"It's a little late to be eating at this time of night."

"It's not, actually. The sun only set an hour ago." The man sat down in a chair and gestured to the one across the table. "You should eat something. You're probably feeling weak after being asleep for two days."

Zuko didn't move, alarmed by that information. The noble continued, "When you feel up to it, there is a healer that will care for your bandages, but first you should eat. Come. Sit."

"I'll stand."

"I insist. Consider it a gesture of repayment for scorching my halls earlier."

Zuko frowned and after a moment of silence, he slowly walked to the table and took the seat across from the noble. He didn't touch the food.

"None of it's poisoned, in case you are wondering," the noble said with a knowing look. "I know a thing or two about the pains of being royalty."

Although that _was_ the reason Zuko didn't reach for anything, the reassurance was not enough. The man reached out and grabbed a handful of grapes and plopped a few into his mouth. As he did so, the jeweled rings on his hand glittered in the light.

It was then that Zuko really took his appearance in. He guessed he was high nobility (or now royalty, it appeared) just based on the way he was dressed. The fine silk robes embroidered with gold and jewels looked like they were made just yesterday and were free of any stray wrinkle or blemish.

The man looked to be his father's age, give or take a few years. He had a finely cut classic goatee with specks of grey mixed with the dark brown. He assumed his hair would look similar if he was able to see it. It was wrapped up in a dark blue turban that had rubies dotting the front. The color stood in contrast to his emotionless dark green eyes.

The thing that stood out most about him was the jewel he had around his neck. Among the other luxury he was dressed in, it was easily the most expensive thing he was wearing.

It looked like a massive opal, bigger than any other he'd seen, encased in gold. It seemed to glow next to the other precious stones around it. The jewel itself was mostly red, but it had specks of blue, orange, and yellow that shimmered brightly at even the slightest movement. It was…impressive, to say the least.

"Why am I here?" Zuko asked, refocusing on the matter at hand.

"I was hoping you could tell _me_ that." Unsure what to say, Zuko didn't respond and the man took a sip from his gold cup. "You know, you caused quite a ruckus when my men tried to bring you in. They had to knock you out and shackle you for good measure."

"Are you saying I'm your prisoner?"

"Not at all. You were initially after your…destructive behavior in one of the market squares."

Zuko searched his memory again for some sort of answer, but it was like looking into an empty black room. There was still nothing.

"What do you mean?"

"Two nights ago, my men and the city guard say you caused an altercation in the trading square. They thought you were going on a drunk tirade until it turned violent. It took twenty-nine sandbenders to take you down. Quite impressive, I must say."

'_Sandbenders,'_ Zuko thought. _'I really am in the Earth Kingdom.'_

Zuko blinked in bewilderment, sensing no sign of a lie. "Is anyone hurt?"

The man paused. "Interesting…that's your first response to me telling you that?"

"Why is that surprising?"

"You are asking about the welfare of my men. I am just surprised you would show that kind of concern." He ate another one of the grapes. "You really should eat. The black grapes are perfectly ripe in this season."

"Is anyone hurt?" he repeated.

"It is a well-known fact that fights with firebenders are rarely ended without injury. Some of them have a few minor burns, but they will heal. The same can't be said for a few trading stalls. You set fire to some of them, thus the reason you were first brought in as a prisoner. Public nuisance, then resisting arrest, then setting things on fire. I was generous enough to reimburse the traders who lost their goods. They wouldn't survive the season otherwise."

He looked down at his chest, assuming that fight was where his wound came from. "Did your men mention why the fight broke out in the first place?"

"They got accounts from witnesses who claim it started over some jewelry."

'…_jewelry?'_ he thought in disbelief, then pinched the bridge of his nose with a frustrated sigh.

"Don't remember anything?" the man asked.

He looked up. "No, I don't," he said suspiciously.

"That is to be expected."

"Why?"

The man set the grapes down and tilted his head in contemplation. "Before I answer that, let me ask you something. Do you know where you are?"

Zuko briefly looked at the architecture surrounding him. "I assume I'm in some sort of palace."

"You won't find another like it for at least three hundred miles. Where do you think this palace is?"

He had a guess, but… "I don't know."

"You are in the middle of the desert, in the city of Derobad, one of the five desert nations."

Zuko blinked. "Derobad?"

"And I am Derobad's regent king."

Suddenly, everything Zuko had seen so far – the architecture, the clothes, the sand – clicked. "Regent King Amos?" he asked.

"Ah, so you do know who I am."

"I learned about the five desert nations when I was younger. I'm familiar with their rulers." And they recently had dealings with them, now that he thought about it.

"I'm flattered. I expected the powerful Fire Lord of the Fire Nation to be too busy with far bigger worldly issues than to remember the king of a minor nation's name." Zuko stiffened at the mention of his title. "Are you surprised I know who you are?" Amos asked.

"I'm not sure."

"We may be just barely bigger than your nation's large capital city, be we are a proud one with well-educated nobility. I've never traveled outside of the desert, but I've seen plenty of pictures of your face. They are strikingly accurate. Even the lines of that famous scar of yours."

Zuko didn't like that news. Amos, and possibly others at this point, knew just how important Zuko was. He could make a valuable hostage if he dared to go that far.

"That," he continued, "and Fire Lords are known for their impressive firebending. You put every firebender we have in this oasis to shame." Amos paused and studied Zuko for a moment, his expression curious and reserved. "If you don't mind, I will ask the question you first asked of me – what _is_ the all-powerful Fire Lord doing in my city?"

"I don't know."

"You remember nothing at all?"

Zuko shook his head. "The last thing I remember is –" He searched through his thoughts once again. "The Fire Nation, I think."

"Hm. You must have been given a very concentrated dose. I'm surprised you're not dead."

"What are you talking about?"

"First, let me tell you about something these desert lands are known for-"

"Can you answer my question?" Zuko interrupted, realizing he was going off-topic yet again after asking about his memory loss. When he saw the look on Amos' face, he calmed his tone. "I apologize. I just need an answer."

"It's coming, but for you to fully understand it, you need to hear what I'm about to tell you."

Briefly biting his cheek, Zuko leaned back in his seat impatiently. Amos started again. "There isn't much trade that comes from the desert like most places around the world. We can only grow enough crops to supply ourselves and the same goes with livestock. Agriculture is not our economy.

"We thrive off treasure hunting in the deep desert, mineral mining, and the rare herbs and poisons that can only be made from the plants you'll find right here. In fact, the plants have a reputation for their lethal, narcotic, and healing properties. Taking a bite out of something here is a big risk. Unless you know otherwise, it may either kill you or drug you. Mixing things together, well, it could do both to you."

He took another sip. "I'm not sure when it happened, but when you were found by my men, you weren't just injured, you were poisoned."

"With what?"

"A common drug here. It's called 'Shush'. Small amounts have the same effects as alcohol. It can be used as a minor sleep aid. Higher doses are used by the soldiers in darts. It's very effective at bringing down a criminal and leaving them docile and cooperative for a while. Take it up another level and things start to get dangerous. There's a certain point where too much is a death sentence, and before you die, you sink into a state of delusion. Depending on how high of a dose, it could be in your system for up to two weeks before it kills you."

"And…I had a higher dose?"

"Yes, and I want to believe it wasn't intentional. Unless you are a spiritualist who wanted to go on a walkabout or wanted to have a little bit of fun."

Zuko shook his head, confused. "Wait, are you saying people take it for fun? I thought it was deadly?"

"They take it more often than they should, in my opinion. It won't kill you if you have the antidote. The same one we gave you to save your life."

"And this drug – or poison – it wipes your memory?"

"Only if you put off taking the antidote longer than you should. There have been people who were careless with it and lost up to 3 months of their memory. So, who knows how long you were wandering around here before that drug ended up in your system?

"Those bruises all over your body were not due to fighting, in case you might have wondered. They and your bloodshot eyes are another sign you were near the end. Maybe you did take it on purpose, maybe I'm right and someone drugged you. Either way, thank the spirits we got to you in time."

Zuko looked down and pulled the sleeves of his robe back. Amos was right. There were dark, large bruises all over his skin and he wondered how he missed them. He stared at the dark spots for a long, silent minute, trying to digest everything the regent king just told him. It was a lot and he wasn't sure what strange part to start with.

He slowly let go of his sleeve and turned his eyes back to Amos, who was studying his shocked expression. Putting all his confusion aside momentarily, he felt a small twinge of guilt for being so standoffish to that point. He certainly didn't trust Amos yet, but if what he said was true, Zuko would likely be dead right now if it weren't for him. "I…owe you my thanks, then."

The king nodded. "Of course."

Up to two weeks of being poisoned and a chance of three months of memory wiped. A lot could happen in three months. He looked up when something else crossed his mind. "Was I with anyone else?" he quickly asked.

"No."

Was he taken from the Fire Nation somehow? These days, he was rarely alone just at the palace. It was beyond hard to believe he'd travel across the world by himself without the usual entourage of guards, advisors, and others.

Poisoned, alone, injured and so much more.

All of it reeked of something nefarious going on, and Zuko's desire to get out of there increased tenfold.

"I appreciate your hospitality, but I need to send a message to the Fire Nation immediately."

Amos took another casual drink and adjusted in his seat. As he did, the large opal glimmered in the light. "Of course," he said with a nod, "however, I think you should know something before we change to that subject. Regarding whether you were alone, no one was found with you, but we did find someone passed out close to the palace."

"Who?" Zuko asked eagerly.

"It was a young woman, a gypsy. She was found last night in worse condition than you, and she's also here undergoing the same treatments you did."

"A gypsy? What is that?" Before Amos could answer, Zuko shook his head and continued, "What's her name?"

"I don't know. She hasn't been coherent enough to ask. I don't normally pick up every passed-out vial-drinker I find, but based on her condition, she may have been poisoned around the same time as you. It was similar enough that I ordered my healers to care for her. Though, if it's some sort of mistake, you needn't worry about it."

"What does she look like?"

"Ah, what indeed. If I had to guess, I'd say she's your age. We don't often see women that look quite like her out in this part of the world. Darker hair and skin are common among gypsies, but not her eyes. Those rare blue water tribe eyes."

Zuko's mouth popped open slightly in surprise. There was only one person that met that criteria at the moment. "K-Katara?"

Amos shrugged. "I believe I mentioned I don't know her name…"

He was fully aware that Katara wasn't the only water tribe woman in the world, nor the only one who had blue eyes. She was just the only one he knew on a personal level who fit the description. He was just thinking about her before this whole fiasco anyway.

"Is she okay?"

"Almost. As I said, she was found in worse condition than you. The healers weren't sure if she could be saved in the beginning. There are multiple treatments of the antidote that she still needs to go through. At this point, she's still incoherent. But, she will live."

Zuko sighed in relief. "Were there others?"

It was rare to see Katara without Aang or Sokka close by.

"No, not that have been found."

He nodded nervously. "Can I see her?"

"Certainly, but how soon is another matter. It all depends on when the healers think she'll be ready for visitors. If she _does_ know you, she probably won't recognize you and she's most likely been drugged to keep her asleep. A light sedative to calm her down. People tend to get aggressive and fearless near the end when taking Shush."

"I don't need to talk to her. I just need to see if it's someone I know."

"All the same. You may ask the healers. I'll send for one in a moment."

Zuko didn't like that answer, but he held his tongue. As his leg bounced with impatience, he gave in to the extreme thirst drying his throat out and drank from the cup in front of him. The water didn't taste like it had anything suspicious in it, but he did find it odd it was room temperature.

What was going on here? Why was he in the middle of the desert poisoned? Why was Katara here with him? Were there others?

He could feel a headache of a lifetime forming from all the questions.

"If you do happen to remember anything," Amos said quietly, "I'm interested to know. Even if they are only hallucinations…or even dreams."

Dreams…

A figment of the dream he had earlier came to mind but didn't let his thoughts linger on it. He didn't offer a response to the king's strange request, not even a slight nod. He wasn't sure he wanted to either.

Suddenly, frantic yelling echoed from down the hall outside of the room. Both Amos and Zuko sat up straighter in surprise. When a middle-aged woman with greying hair halted in the archway, she was about to say something to Amos, but she froze when she saw Zuko.

"He's awake?! Why was I not informed?!" she yelled.

"Calm down, Senja," said the king. "He hasn't been awake for very long. Is there something you need? You seem a little distraught."

"Distraught is a light word to use. The young woman under my care has escaped."

"Escaped?" Amos repeated.

"She woke up in the middle of treatments and took off."

Zuko stood up abruptly. Amos immediately set down his cup. "How close were her treatments to being done?"

"Not close enough."

"What does that mean?" Zuko asked.

"Treatments have to be done consecutively and close together, or you'll revert. They can't be interrupted once the process starts. With how bad her condition was, she can't afford a break."

'_Or In other words,'_ Zuko thought, _'she could die.'_

The woman at archway didn't correct a word he said and that was enough for Zuko to believe it fully. Amos quickly called in the guards and explained to them the situation. "Track her down and bring her back to Senja. She was poisoned with a high dose of Shush, so be quick about it. And try not to be too rough."

The man who looked like the captain nodded and as he turned away to start giving orders to the others, Zuko stepped up. "I'm going with you."

The captain gave him an incredulous look. "No, you're not. From what I've heard, you're in an only slightly better state than she was. I don't have time-"

"I said I'm going," Zuko interrupted. His patience was wearing thinner by the second, and, with this especially, he wasn't going to take no for an answer. The captain frowned and looked to Amos. Zuko followed his gaze and steeled his voice. "You said I'm not your prisoner."

After glancing between the two of them, Amos shrugged his shoulders and reached up to toy with the opal around his neck. "Might be the best if you do know her. Let him come. Based on what happened the other night, he seems far more capable than a handful of your men, apparently."

Trying to hide a scowl, the captain nodded. He briefly locked eyes with Zuko before he walked out of the room. Zuko quickly followed, but before he stepped through the archway, Amos spoke to him one last time.

"Do be careful, Fire Lord, because she certainly won't be."

* * *

A/N: Was the exposition okay? I tried to make it interesting and mysterious. Let me know if I nailed it. On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you for the next chapter?

See you next time!


	3. Mindless

A/N: This is more than late. I have no excuse. Sorry…

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA. This fan fiction abides by fair use and is not-for-profit.

* * *

_Chapter 3_

**Mindless**

…

Straining to hide his severe fatigue, Zuko tugged at the dark material rubbing uncomfortably against his neck. In a rush out of the palace, he was given a nearly all-black outfit that looked similar to what the soldiers were dressed in. However, it was a size too small and rubbed uncomfortably against the wound on his chest. It was a terrible outfit for fighting, and he hoped nothing drastic would lead to that.

"_She still has a dangerously high dose in her system. I don't care what your usual tactics are for capturing someone, how much she resists, or how aggressive she gets. If she comes backs injured or in worse condition, you will answer directly to King Amos for it!"_

The lecturing words the healer gave them before they left the palace grounds hung on Zuko's thoughts like an ominous air. His attempts to get even a sliver of information from the soldiers about how they intended to handle the situation failed with every try. It was obvious they didn't like him. Their glares and attempts to put distance between them did not go unnoticed, and he had no choice but to be shut in the dark for the time being.

Despite the hostile air and his frustration with them, Zuko stayed close to the group, worried he might lose them in the maze of a city they were weaving through.

Perhaps it was just the odd state of mind he was in - the fatigued, adrenaline-fueled, jittery, nervous mush of things one was not supposed to feel all at once – but this city-at-night had an overwhelming feel of foreign peculiarity to it he'd never come across before in all his travels around the world.

Ropes holding stained-glass lanterns zigzagged across the streets and illuminated the area with different warm colors. Below them, a bustling madness of trade was going on. Stalls overflowing with goods were tightly packed together at the edges of the streets. Charismatic traders and merchants competed over the attention of the large crowds, enticing them with compelling reasons to buy their strange-looking goods.

Unrecognizable clothing, food, music, herbs, trinkets, acts of entertainment, animals, and so, _so_ much more whirled around Zuko at a dizzying rate. Memory-stealing drug or not, it was hard to believe he had already been in the midst of it all a few nights ago.

He had to force himself, more than once, not to get too distracted by the spectacle surrounding him. He was packed into a haystack of craziness in these streets and the group of soldiers was not a needle he could afford to lose sight of.

Realizing he was starting to fall behind, Zuko quickly caught up to the group and tried to get a little closer to the front when he saw someone approach the captain. Due to the loud sounds of the market, he couldn't hear the conversation going on, but when the captain picked up the pace and starting barking orders to his men, Zuko stepped in.

"Where is she?" he asked as he forcefully pushed his way past one of the guards to walk next to the captain.

After a brief pause, he said, "Our intel says she's near one of the water towers. She was last seen climbing up one of the aqueducts to get into a building."

"How close are we?"

His answer came right away when they stepped around a street corner into a more open area. The space was dominated by three huge stone water towers a few stories tall. Each of them had buildings built into the sides with a web of aqueducts that connected them to each other and lead into the city.

Near one water tower building, in particular, soldiers were gathered. A few of them were pointing at one of the higher levels.

The market chaos was still present in the larger space but it was obvious the air was shifting from a busy excitement to uneasiness as it became apparent something was going on. Soldiers were walking through the crowds yelling with authority to leave the area. Some did without question, others started gathering and whispering with each other, and there were a few who's behavior was far different.

A few people nearly ran into their group as they fled from the direction they were headed. Fear was etched on their faces and their desperation to get away was even more apparent.

Startled, Zuko searched all the windows of the building in question to catch a glimpse of anything inside or just any sign of what may have spooked the crowd. All seemed dark and still in the building. There wasn't even a lit room.

"Is she in there?" the captain asked as he pointed upward.

"Yes, sir. The city patrol spotted her. She fled here when she realized they were following her."

"Well, why are you all just standing around?"

"We are waiting on your orders, sir," said the soldier, "and…we're evacuating the area first."

"I noticed. What happened?" the captain asked.

"She nearly killed a few of us and a handful of bystanders when we approached her." At the news, Zuko tore his gaze from the water tower. The soldier pointed to a different building not far from them. Starting on the ground and leading up to the severely damaged walls was a long line of sharp icicles, each the size of a person. People were nervously keeping their distance, pointing and whispering at the melting ice. "She's a waterbender."

The captain blinked in surprise.

"We have the sedative Senja gave us. We may have to use it," said another next to Zuko. The man pulled out a dart with liquid in it. The captain took the dart and held up a wooden blowgun and compared the two.

"This isn't going to work. It's too big. If we're going to use this, we'll have to get close enough to use it by hand." The captain sighed and looked at the large icicles again. "She's that powerful?"

Some of the men exchanged looks. "I've never met a gypsy with her skill, sir. She's dangerous."

The captain grimaced. "Then this is useless to us. If she's that much of a threat, we're going to avoid confrontation, if we can. We'll knock her out the usual way at a distance."

When the captain pulled out a smaller dart, one that had a slightly clouded purple liquid, a sense of unease came over Zuko when he remembered something that Amos told him. "Wait. That's made out of-" he paused for a moment when he couldn't remember the name, "That's made out of Shush, isn't it?"

"It is."

"That's what she's drugged with. Won't any more of it make things worse?"

"She's already had some of the antidote. A small amount of this won't kill her."

"How do you know that?"

The captain paused what he was doing and frowned angrily. "I don't."

"And you would still take that risk?!" Zuko raised his voice. "Has anyone tried reasoning with her?"

"You don't reason with vial-drinkers," the captain scoffed. "They run on instinct, insanity, and nothing else when they are as far gone as she is."

"But you can't-!"

"Enough!" the captain interrupted with a yell. "I don't know what gave you the idea you hold any authority in this situation. You're an outsider here - that much is obvious! And it's also obvious you've never dealt with people on Shush! Do you remember anything from your attack on the market square the other night?"

"No."

"Well, I do. You should consider yourself lucky to be alive not only after you almost killed at least twelve of my men but also the handful of bystanders you nearly burned to death."

That gave Zuko pause. Amos had mentioned that he fought with soldiers, but he never said anything about nearly killing civilians. The captain noticed his faltered expression.

"Did the king not mention that?" the captain asked. "I don't know who you are, I don't know who she is or why King Amos is so concerned with you two, but there are limits to what I'm willing to risk in this situation. I told our king I would try to bring her back safely, but I refuse to bring back a dead soldier along with her."

The tension in the air had everyone on edge as Zuko and the captain stared each other down.

He couldn't disagree with the captain. If Katara really was the one hiding in the building in front of them (and all signs were certainly pointing to that thus far), they were already underestimating how much damage she could do, especially if her state of mind was as bad as what everyone was saying.

He could agree that being reckless with others' lives wasn't an option, but neither was being reckless with hers.

Suddenly, something startled the crowd around them. Voices raised as a few people pointed towards the water tower. They all turned around to see what the commotion was about and Zuko's eyes instantly locked with familiar blue ones through an open window.

Both the night and the shadow she was standing in were dark, but there was no mistake about it. That was without a doubt Katara looking down at him. Her eyes widened and just as fast as she appeared, she disappeared back into the dark room.

"Katara!" Zuko yelled.

There was no response.

The soldiers switched to high alert. As some of them gripped the hilts of their swords, others started pulling out darts of their own. Zuko stepped in front of the captain and held out his hand. "The sedative - give it to me."

The captain didn't and looked like he was about ready to walk right past Zuko. Fed up at that point, Zuko roughly grabbed his wrist to stop him. "I know that woman. Let me talk to her before you start attacking her!"

The captain pulled his arm from Zuko's grip. "I could have your arm for that, boy," he hissed.

Zuko ignored the threat. "If reasoning with her doesn't work, I'll use the sedative. And if that fails, you can go after her yourself." The captain's expression faltered slightly. He briefly looked to the soldiers around him. "If you're so worried about your men getting hurt," Zuko said, "then this is your best option."

After some hesitation, the captain held it out. "Fine."

Zuko snatched it with a glare and turned toward the water tower.

"Make it quick. I'm only giving you a few minutes."

Trying to calm his flaring temper, Zuko didn't say anything more.

Much to his chagrin, not only were King Amos' men lacking in the civility department, but they were doing a complete lackluster job at evacuating the area. An even bigger crowd from before was forming, and with him being the only one walking towards the source of danger, all the attention was drawn to him. The hundreds of curious eyes sparked his paranoia, so he pulled up the material around his neck to cover the lower half of his face.

The door to get in was locked and not having the patience to ask the unruly captain for a key or any other sort of assistance, he used his anger as fuel and simply kicked the door open instead. As he stepped into the dark foyer, he listened for any sound of movement from above, but everything was quiet.

"Katara?" he called as he slowly climbed the stars, but once again, there was no response.

When he finally did get a sign that she was still there, he was three floors up and heard a hissing noise from the room adjacent to the stairs. Recognizing that sound, he jumped back.

'_Shit!'_ he cursed as his back slammed against a corner, just barely dodging three sharp icicles aimed straight for his chest. They smashed into the wall, destroying nearly all of it while sending a cloud of dust into the air.

He lifted his arms up, ready to vaporize the next round she threw at him. However, before he could peek around the corner, something terrible dawned on him. He knew he was already at a major disadvantage being next to three giant _water towers_, but it was only then that he realized the building he was in was made out of wood. If he used firebending to defend himself from her attempts to spear him, he could light the place on fire with them inside.

Briefly pinching the bridge of his nose, Zuko tucked the sedative into a pocket and pulled the covering on his face down. His time was strapped and he didn't exactly have a better idea in mind, so, with a nervous sigh, he stepped around the corner with his arms slightly raised in surrender.

Another icicle whizzed through the air and he barely missed it again. At the edge of the room, Katara pulled more water from who knows where and shifted into a position that he knew meant serious trouble for him.

"Wait! Katara, it's me!"

The deadly glower on her face immediately flashed to surprise and the water hovering in the air fell to the ground, splashing past his feet. With her arms still raised, she backed up a few paces and stopped right in the moonlight pouring in from the window.

Even with the small amount of light, it was enough to tell she looked like a mess. She had a short white healing robe on with small dirt smudges all over it. Her hair was completely free and disheveled, and it lacked any one of her signature beads, braids, or intricate twists.

Just like him, bruises covered her skin. The thing that he _didn't_ recognize about her was her eyes. They were bloodshot, also like him, but there was a hauntingly feral look to them. Her angry expression wasn't exactly a foreign thing to him. He's seen it plenty of times throughout his life. He even knew exactly what the lethal glint in her eyes looked like when she was threatening to kill someone.

But what was staring at him right then was something else entirely. He was genuinely caught off guard when the hair on the back of his neck raised under that intense gaze.

Raising his hands a little higher, he took a small step towards her. The movement spooked Katara and she immediately tried to make a break past him, heading towards the stairs. Zuko threw his arm out to block her. "Wait! Just calm down for a second. I'm not going to hurt you. Do you recognize me?"

She backed up a step.

"It's Zuko," he said as he pointed to his scar.

Furrowing her brow, Katara stared at it intently. "Zuko?" she asked.

He nodded. Slowly, she walked toward him and surprised him when she stepped a little too close, right in his personal space. He backed up a step, careful not to do it too fast. After studying his face for a few more seconds, she finally seemed to calm down. However, the untamed look in her eyes didn't leave.

"It really is you this time…" she said quietly.

'_This time?'_ he thought to himself.

She ran a hand across her face and then gripped it like she had a bad headache.

"I think it's real this time," she muttered.

He genuinely believed everyone who kept saying that her state of mind might be questionable, but he honestly wasn't expecting her to be as bad as what he was witnessing. He was getting the distinct feeling that the negotiation he hoped for wasn't going to happen.

"Where are we?"

He thought better of telling her the full story. "We're in a city," he said simply.

"Ba Sing Se?"

"No."

She looked around the room. "I don't feel well…"

"I know. You're a little sick right now. We can go back to the palace and you can lie down there."

"The Fire Palace?"

"Uh, yes."

"It's been years since I've been in the Fire Palace." She shook her head. "Why am I in the Fire Nation? Where's the Fire Lord?"

"Katara_, I'm_ the Fire Lord, remember?" His answer only confused her more. Before she could speak again, he sighed and cut her off. "Listen, I know your confused and you have a lot of questions, but we need to get back to the palace."

"But-"

"Do you trust me?"

She hesitated, then slowly nodded.

"I'll explain everything once we get back. I promise you that. Will you come with me?"

Katara was quiet for a long minute, appearing to mull over his words, but within a second, her eyes seemed to gloss over. She was still looking right at him, but her attention was clearly zoned out.

"Katara."

No answer. When waving his hand in front of her did nothing, he lightly grabbed her arm. She jumped slightly and refocused on him. He pulled back his hand and instead held it out to her. "Come on. Let's go back."

Hesitantly, she reached her hand up. She never touched him, though. Her palm hovered over his and then turned into a fist.

"Trust you…?" she muttered.

The detached expression on her face suddenly changed to one that had Zuko nervous. She was angry. Furious, even. She swatted his hand away and stepped closer, her finger pointing accusingly at his face. He backed up again but hit a table before he could put any real distance between them. She didn't halt until he was practically pinned.

"Why did you leave?!" she snapped.

"What?"

"You left me alone! In the middle of the night! You were the one who said we had to stick together! Why did you leave?!"

"Katara, I don't' know what you're-"

He stopped short when he realized something about the situation. Zuko's memory was completely gone and he didn't have a single shred to rely on. Katara, on the other hand, as inebriated as she was, still hadn't had the complete treatment of the antidote.

Getting her to safety was the top priority, but if there was a chance she could still remember anything about why on earth they were in the middle of the desert…

It may be his one and only opportunity to find out before she forgot it all.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! I saw you running down the street! And then you were gone! I spent years looking for you!"

Pulling his brows together at the word 'years', he calmly said. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? That's all you have to say?!"

"Do you know where Aang is? Was Sokka with us?"

"Wha- Sokka?"

"Was he with us?"

"No? Sokka hasn't been with us during _any_ of this!"

"What about Aang?"

She frowned something serious.

"Katara, what about Aang?" he pressed.

"I haven't seen Aang in months," she hissed. "You didn't answer my question."

"I'm sorry I disappeared. I…didn't think it would upset you this much." Her eyes narrowed and he quickly continued, "Do you remember anything about what's been going on the past few weeks?"

"You are acting so strange again, Zuko," she said while folding her arms.

Trying to put some space between them, he leaned away from her a little. It hardly helped. "Okay, what about the night I 'left'. Do you remember that?"

"Obviously."

"Can you tell me about it? Where we were at? Do you remember what we were doing?"

"What we were doing? We were in the-" her words suddenly cut off and she looked taken by surprise.

"In the…?" he pressed.

"That place. You- you were…"

"What place? I was what?" Katara stiffened and her glare faded. Her eyes then wandered all over his face. "Katara?"

She was checked out. Again.

This disjointed conversation of theirs was going nowhere. Still, he opened his mouth to push for more information but froze when he saw the dark bruises on her neck and chest. Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair, knowing he was wasting precious time.

Katara mumbled something under her breath that he didn't catch. Then, her demeanor took yet another turn. The switch between fear, anger, and confusion had already given him enough whiplash for one night, and now he wasn't sure how to interpret the new look she was giving him.

One thing was for sure, though. It was making him incredibly uncomfortable.

Her eyes were half-lidded and the wandering they had done before ended on his lips. She mumbled something again, even quieter than before, then sighed. Because she was nearly pressed up against him, the wisp of warm air brushed against his neck.

He swallowed hard and he found it all eerily similar to something he had already seen in his dream earlier. The thought was squashed to pieces before it could take off, though. Now was _not _the time to think about it. Or ever, really.

He reached for her arms, intending to grab them to coax her away and give back his personal space, but he halted when he heard something coming from outside. Through the window glass, he could see soldiers moving towards the building.

"That was hardly any time at all!" he hissed. "Katara, listen, we need to-ngh!"

He was interrupted when Katara grabbed his tunic and pulled him down to her level and planted her lips right on his.

Time either froze in that moment, or his brain just stopped working. Wide-eyed and stunned, whatever train of thought he had shattered into a wreck and the only thing he could focus on were the intrusive lips and warm body heat pressing against him.

It wasn't just a quick peck from her. Just as he thought she was about to pull away, her hand snaked through his hair and her lips very slowly started to move against his.

An embarrassing noise that was something between a whimper and a gasp of shock muffled between their lips. His mind finally caught up with what was happening and the hands hanging loosely in the air quickly grabbed her hips.

He pushed her off of him with a shove and she stumbled back a few steps.

As his face flushed a deep red, he brought the back of his hand up to his lips. Katara's confusion over the rejection quickly turned into mirrored embarrassment as the two of them stared at each other awkwardly.

The tension in the air was cut when the soldiers from earlier started coming up the stairs.

It startled both of them. It was as if the situation came rushing back into Katara all at once. The look in her eyes changed again like a switch had been flipped, and she panicked.

She made a break for the window across the room, but Zuko snagged her arm before she was out of reach.

"Wait!"

She didn't struggle even for a second in his grip, and instead immediately smashed her knee into his groin. It wasn't a direct hit (thank the spirits), but it was enough to send him to the ground with the wind completely knocked out of him. Katara stumbled along with him because, somehow, he still had her wrist in a tight grip.

If he was paying attention to anything other than the pain at that moment, he would have let her go. But he wasn't, and it resulted in a full-force punch square in his jaw. He landed on his back and Katara jumped back with a loud yelp.

She grabbed her wrist as her face contorted in pain. However, as the footsteps coming up the stairs got louder, she quickly looked around the room and zeroed in on the same window as before. While favoring her wrist, she pushed it open and jumped out onto the roof without another glance at Zuko.

With a glare that could melt ice, Zuko groaned as he forced himself onto his feet. He wiped at his now bloodied lip and looked between the open window and the door to the stairs. Walking through the pain, he slammed the door and grabbed the nearest chair and lodged it tightly under the handle. It probably wouldn't slow them down much, but any second helped at this point.

He jumped out the same window she did, stumbling slightly, and spotted her. She was on one of the aqueducts leading to another water tower, going as fast as she could on the narrow path. When Zuko jumped onto the same aqueduct, he hesitated momentarily when he looked down and realized how high up they were.

The crowd below him was huge. Many were yelling and gesturing towards them as if what they were seeing was some daring circus act. The soldiers on the ground were following Katara's movements. A few of them threw their hands through the air and the sand below them responded and started to rise and shape into a mediocre staircase that would intercept her. Most of them had blowguns in their hands.

They had to be out of their damn minds. If Katara was hit and knocked out this high up, she was going to fall to her death.

Zuko took off on the aqueduct. Katara quickly realized he was hot on her heels and slowed to a halt. Zuko did too and nearly slipped off when he saw the large pool of water she pulled right out of the water tower.

By the way she was twisting it through the air, he knew exactly what she intended to do with it. He threw his arms up and braced himself for the impact. The water jetted towards him at incredible speed and when it was only a few paces away from knocking him through the air, he conjured up a massive flame that met it head on.

What resulted was a loud explosion as the two elements collided and both fire and steam blasted past him. He nearly lost his balance from the force of it all and the lack of visibility in the hot vapor surrounding him. Terrified screams from the crowd below erupted.

Zuko took off again, hoping that by waiting until the last second, Katara was not knocked off. As soon as he got out of the cloud of steam, he saw her jump onto a roof of another building. She had already destroyed the staircase the sandbenders were building. The soldiers that were on it were now either on the roof below Katara or clinging to it to keep from falling.

One, in particular, aimed his blowgun at her. The dart almost hit her but was stopped midair when it was incinerated by a blast of fire from Zuko's fist.

Katara pulled the window open and jumped inside the dark room. Realizing the time for negotiation was far past them at that point, Zuko grabbed the sedative from his pocket and followed Katara into the building.

His heart sank through his chest when he found she was waiting for him before his feet could even hit the floor. With a ferocious glint in her eyes, she threw her hand through the air to spear him with icicles. However, the water faltered and all of it missed him just barely. She grimaced in pain and grabbed her injured wrist.

It gave Zuko an opening and he jumped towards her. The second he grabbed her uninjured wrist that was reaching for more water, it was clear she was no match for his strength. He twisted her arm and pushed her back into his chest in a rear body lock. She struggled hard and right before he was about to lose his balance because of it, he shoved the sedative into her shoulder.

Almost immediately, her movements lost their power. She pushed against him but he held onto her tight and didn't give her any leeway. A few seconds later, she let out a few slurred moans and her body went limp. Her head fell back against his shoulder and then silence followed.

Zuko stood there for a little while longer just to make sure she was really out; however, his ears started to ring. It was as if watching the strength leave her took it out of him as well. His body suddenly felt heavy as his adrenaline stores finally ran dry.

Breathing hard, he set Katara down on the floor gently and then grabbed his temple as a wave of dizziness hit him. Not only was he feeling weak, but he was still in pain. It was an awful combination to feel and he had to actively try to not lean over and hurl because of it

The main thing that kept him from doing so was the commotion going on outside and a few stories below them. Soldiers were in the building and making their way up the stairs. Sighing, Zuko pulled together what scraps of energy he had left and leaned towards Katara.

He reached for the dart still lodged in her shoulder and pulled it out, then chucked it across the room. Her injured wrist was starting to swell. Distracted by it, he watched as it rose and fell on her chest with each small breath, and couldn't help but wonder how the hell a small hand like hers could hit him so hard.

Touching his sore jaw, he shook his head. His hand traveled up to his lips and briefly skimmed over them while wiping blood away, then shook his head for a second time.

Letting out one more sigh, he lifted her up in his arms and walked towards the door.

* * *

White spots danced across his vision. The ringing in his ears was getting louder. Unseen chains of fatigue were pulling him down. He tried to avoid it as long as he could, but he gave in and grabbed the arch frame to keep himself from falling over.

The healer from earlier and a new one were busy checking Katara. They frantically lifted her arms and legs to inspect the dark bruises scattered across her skin. When one got to her injured wrist and lifted it up, she looked at Zuko. "What happened?" she asked.

"She most likely injured it during her escape from the palace," said the older one, Senja. "I don't think it's broken. Most likely sprained."

Zuko rubbed his jaw without comment.

King Amos stood next to Zuko in the archway, watching the healers work, but Zuko could tell most of his attention was on him. "She's lucky. They say the antidote should still take with no problem." Zuko just nodded weakly in response. "What's her name?"

Zuko looked at Amos, but couldn't make out his face entirely because of the spots in his vision. "Katara," he said quietly.

"Hm."

Zuko looked to Senja. "You said she should be back to normal by the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Zuko turned back to Amos, unable to see his face at all this time. "I need to send a message to the Fire Nation. And we're leaving as soon as she's awake."

"In your condition?" Amos asked, his voice barely audible over the ringing. "The desert we're in is the most inhospitable place in the world. You won't make it out of the oasis."

"We're…leaving…" Zuko pressed.

The world around him bent and twisted until the strength left his body and darkness started to consume him. Just before he fell, the last thing he heard was the quiet voice of King Amos.

"Oh, I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere for some time..."


End file.
